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  William-Michael Cooper March 7, 2016 at 1:35pm

  William-Michael Cooper is the founding artistic director of Contemporary South Inc. which is a state recognized arts nonprofit whose mission is to cultivate dance education in Alabama through master classes, workshops, and professional dance performance. In 2015, Contemporary South performed 8 concerts in 4 cities in Alabama and continues to passionately strive to bring high quality contemporary and modern dance to the rural South. Cooper is currently a company member and soloist with Les Ballet Grandiva which is based in both NYC and Tokyo Japan. Cooper recently completed another international tour in the Fall of 2015 and has been touring with the New York City-based ballet company since 2003. Cooper began his pre-professional studies while on scholarship from American Ballet Theater to study at The University of Alabama where he was awarded the Dancer's Award (Edie Barnes Award) and presented work for Dance Alabama! while dancing as a member of the Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre. In 2002, Cooper joined Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II where he intensely studied ballet, jazz, and the Horton modern dance technique. During his time as a student, he worked with Ballet Tech while obtaining his BFA in Ballet at nationally acclaimed College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), University of Cincinnati. Cooper has performed professionally with Cincinnati Ballet, Alabama Ballet, Les Ballets Grandiva, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, and the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. Cooper was a founding member of Men on Pointe in New York City under the direction of Brian Norris. In New York City, Cooper continued his ballet training with Paul Boos, former New York City Ballet soloist and a current repetiteur for the Balanchine Trust; James Springer, Lydia Metcalf and with Vladimir Dokoudovsky at the New York City Conservatory of Dance. As a member of Les Ballets Grandiva, Cooper has performed in New York City and toured both nationally and internationally. Cooper has had the honor to work with many acclaimed choreographers/directors including; Peter Anastos, Lar Lubovitch, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Maureen Flemming, Brian Norris, Mark Dendy, Victor Trevino and Katherine Crockett. Cooper has danced in works choreographed by Petipa, Fokine, Forsythe, Balanchine, and Ashton. Cooper studied at the Martha Graham School where he obtained teacher certification to be a Graham instructor. Cooper has taught for the Ecole Superieure de Danse Cannes with Rosella Hightower, the College-Conservatory of Music’s Preparatory Department, Ballet Tech of Ohio, the ABT Summer Intensives, the NYU Preparatory Department in Dance, Staten Island University in New York, and Birmingham-Southern College, The University of Alabama at Birmingham's ArtPlay, and the Birmingham Ballet. Cooper’s choreography has been commissioned by several professional dance companies in the United States and Japan. In 2015, Cooper will travel to Egypt to set his newest work in Cairo in a collaborative performance with the MAAT and the Council on International Dance which he is an active member. William-Michael Cooper serves as a faculty member for Marilyn Sanders Performing Arts Center in Jasper, AL and the Grebel Center for Dance in Pelham, AL.

  
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  William-Michael Cooper March 7, 2016 at 1:34pm

   
  Leah Tubbs, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, studied dance at Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) and the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. She toured with the Alabama Ballet during her time at ASFA. She was the recipient of the Duane Dishion Dance Award during her tenure at ASFA. She received the Dancers’ Award at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. She is a former two-time scholarship recipient of the American Ballet Theater Summer Intensive. She has been blessed to dance with several prominent companies such as Dayton Contemporary Dance Second Company (DCdC2), Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theatre (CCDT), Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Project 21 Dance, L.A. Choreographers and Dancers, Donna Sternberg and Dancers, Jazz Ain’t Dead, and The Zifadanz Group. She was a 2007 recipient of the Puffin Foundation Grant for her Project S.O.L.E. after school dance program allowing her to touch the creative spirits of low-income minority girls who might not be given the opportunity to artistically express themselves as well as nurture future dancers and arts enthusiasts. She has taught for private and public schools, dance schools, non-profit dance organizations, and summer dance intensives such as Jeraldyn’s School of the Dance (the official school of DCDC and DCdC2), Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland, Lula Washington Dance School, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Tapestry Dance Company and Academy, and Joffrey Ballet School. She created Creative Exploration through Movement (CETM), a customized curriculum that gives students of all ages the freedom of movement in an encouraging, structured environment, that was implemented during Texas Empowerment Academy's eight week summer camp in 2010. She has been selected to present her work for Austin’s Dance Carousel, Big Range Dance Festival, READY SET GO series, and Ten Minutes Max, as well as the Oklahoma Contemporary Dance Festival, Jazz Ballet Company, and Arova Contemporary Dance Company. She served as the artistic director and company member of Ballet Afrique Contemporary Dance Company from 2008-2010, where she received three nominations by the Austin Critics Table Awards for best choreographer, best original short work, and for outstanding dance concert. Leah was the 2013 artist-in-residence for the University of Alabama at Birmingham's ArtPlay 3-Week Dance Workshop.
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  William-Michael Cooper March 7, 2016 at 1:33pm

  Mitchell Kilby is a native Newcastle, Australia. At the age of 16, Kilby began his ballet training with Marie Walton Mahon. He later accepted a full scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet School which brought him to New York City in 2004. At the prestigious Joffrey Ballet, he worked with Eleanor D'Antuon, Francesca Corckle, John Magnus and Winthrop Corey. In 2006, Mitchell accepted a company position at The New York Theatre Ballet where he is a current company member. At The New York Theatre Ballet, he has worked with many choreographers including Chase Brock, Matt Neenan, Keith Michaels, Antonia Francheschi, James Sutton, Lance Westergard, Donald Mahler and NYTB's ballet mistress, Sally Wilson. Kilby has performed works by Marius Petipa, Jose Limon, Merce Cunningham, Sir Antony Tudor, Lotte Gosla, Frederick Ashton and Agnes De Mille. Kilby had the privilege of learning De Mille's work directly from Gemze De Lappe. At New York Theatre Ballet, it didn't take long for Mitch to show a strength and talent in character work particularly comedy. This allowed him to lead roles such as; The Devil in Three Virgins and a Devil, Lago in The Moore's Pavane, Dance Master in Cinderella, The Lion in Carnival of the Animals, Sword Dance from Brigadoon, Scare Crow in The Wizard of Oz. Kilby has danced many roles in The Nutcracker which include, Drosselmeyer, The Doll, Chinese, Spanish, and the Snow King. During his work with New York Theatre Ballet, Kilby has had the privilege and honor to be a guest artist for several companies. In 2010, Kilby was cast as 'The Grinch' in the New York Pops production at Carnegie Hall. In 2013, he was invited back by the New York City Pops to play the part of Charlie Brown in A Charlie Brown Christmas at Carnegie Hall. In 2012 Mitch performed with the Paris Opera Ballet at the Lincoln Center Festival. During the summer of 2015, Kilby returned to City Center to perform in The Theatre of Nations production of 'Miss Julie'. In 2015, Kilby joined Les Ballets Grandiva for the company's Japan tour. Mitchell Kilby has taught at the Woodbury Ballet Academy and is currently on the faculty for the Ridgefield Ballet School and 5-6-7-8 Dance.